Industry News | 22 Apr 2025

Nevada governor names Dreitzer, a seasoned professional, to chair gaming board

 Mike Dreitzer has been named by Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo to serve as the NGCB chairman, effective Monday, April 21.
 October in Nevada;
 Intended to step down in January was current chairman Kirk Hendrick, who was appointed to a four-year term in 2023.  At the time, Hendrick stated his intention to remain until the 2nd of June, when the Nevada legislative session concludes.  The 22nd of June will be his last day, according to the governor's office.

 Following that, Mike Dreitzer, the state's most visible regulator, will assume control.  Unlike any other state, Nevada's NGCB and Nevada Gaming Commission work together to oversee the gaming industry.  Although the full-time board is subject to the oversight of the part-time commission, the majority of the day-to-day tasks are handled by the head of the board.

 Dreitzer will now serve until January 2027, when Hendrick's term can be extended if reappointed.

 Lombardo expressed his deepest gratitude to Chairman Hendrick for his partnership and commitment to the state in a statement he released as he was about to stand down.  "The Nevada Gaming Control Board has made tremendous progress in gaming modernisation and innovation in Nevada under his leadership, eliminating bureaucratic hurdles."

 "I look forward to furthering the essential mission of the board, while supporting its agents and staff to ensure the highest quality gaming regulation for our state," Dreitzer said. He most recently worked as CEO of slot provider Gaming Arts.

 Plenty of regulatory hurdles to overcome
 It is possible that Lombardo's admiration of Hendrick best encapsulates his tenure at the NGCB.  As with all state agencies, Hendrick was immediately given the duty by the governor to perform an internal assessment in order to remove any regulations that were either outdated or duplicated.

 The board headed by Hendrick successfully repealed sixteen state restrictions after a lengthy procedure.  In addition to leading the charge for a regulatory reform that permitted customers to utilise wagering accounts for non-gaming purchases at licensed locations, he also conducted multiple workshops on the subject of cashless payments, which was a major milestone for the industry in 2024.

 Dreitzer, an experienced figure in the field, will be in charge of Nevada's gaming at a critical juncture.  The gambling business in Las Vegas has been mired in a complex controversy involving illicit bookmaking and money laundering for a number of years.

 Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) was fined $10.5 million and MGM Resorts $8.5 million for their involvement in the incident, respectively, by the NGCB under Hendrick.  In March, the NGC accepted the fine for RWLV, and on 24 April, they will meet to examine the fine for MGM.  While Hendrick was in charge, Scott Sibella, an ex-executive with links to both organisations, had his gaming licence revoked as well.

 Federal officials uncovered and prosecuted the affair, which has cast a negative light on state regulators.  Another sign of internal strife is a discrimination case that an employee filed in September of last year.  Despite Hendrick's best efforts, operators and suppliers continued to be frustrated by the bureaucracy's sluggishness and cautious approvals.

 Leadership turnover
 The NGCB has been experiencing high turnover for a number of years and has also been the target of severe criticism.

 Dreitzer will succeed Sandra Douglass Morgan, who succeeded Becky Harris in January 2019, making her the fifth chair in that time.  In November 2020, Brin Gibson succeeded Morgan, and in November 2022, Gibson resigned.  Hendrick now passes the torch to Dreitzer after Brittnie Watkins served as interim chair for a short time.

 The second has worked in both the private sector of gaming and public administration.  Among Dreitzer's previous executive positions include those at Ainsworth and BMM Testlabs, before joining Gaming Arts.  He served as the state's deputy attorney general from 1996 to 1999 prior to all of that.  With Nevada's gaming industry fresh off four years of record-setting performance post-Covid, Dreitzer will now seek to draw from both of those experiences in policing the industry.

 "The transition from Chairman Hendrick to Chairman Mike Dreitzer will be seamless," Hendrick stated.  Our friendship dates back to our time working together in the attorney general's office, some 30 years ago.  Gov. Lombardo made the right decision in Mike because of his extensive background in gaming law, government, regulatory compliance, and business.